Another Side, Another Story
by FlipWise
Summary: This is Trix's side of Different Outsiders, Same Methods. Let's see how he saw the entire situation.
1. Jail Bird

Well, I had to remove the song fic. says I can't post anything like the way I was posting it. So I have to jump right to the next story. This is Trix's side of Different Outsiders, Same Methods. Alright. Let's go.

Another Side, Another Story

Chapter 1: Jail bird

Hey. It's me again. Trix Curtis. Since we last talked, I was leaving my brothers and moving to Atlanta. Like I said, I had gotten married and had a son named Danny. Well, let's say I got busted for assault with a deadly weapon. Some guy threatened my family. So I pulled a bat on him and beat him in. I was then put in jail. I could remember that clearly.

It was during recess. I was on my way to the boxing arena. Some guy had kept talking about me. So we decided to settle it in the arena. I was gonna put that guy to work. This one guy I had made friends with came running behind me. His name was Chris.

"You ready?" he asked.

"You know it," I answered.

I had changed a little ever since I ran away. I now had a bigger build, and pretty thick muscles. I had a tattoo of a fireball on my left arm. I had on just a white beater and my jail pants. My hands were taped up. I was ready to murder.

I walked out to the recess area and everyone was yelling. They were waiting for the fight. Some were yelling my name; some were yelling the other guy's name. The other guy was already waiting in the ring for me.

I climbed in. He then remarked,

"I've used to hunt rabbits before I hunted people."

I just kept a straight face and readied myself. The match started. We walked up in defensive positions. He tried to go for a jab but I blocked. He tried a couple more but no luck. I figured out his combination and after his next jab I jab him right before his fist reached my face.

Sweat flew off his forehead as I backed up into another defensive position. We kept going at it. I gave him a black eye and he gave me an uppercut that made my mouth bleed. I spit blood to the side and continued. It would take a lot more than that to stop me. Y'all remember what happened at the rumble.

We continued to go at it. Finally he got frustrated and went into a string of punches into my face. I blocked majority of them, but one almost knocked me off my feet. I kept my balance though.

When people get mad like that. It's over for them. I found an open position and gave him a nice haymaker. He went straight into the ground and could barely get up. According to our rules, I had just won.

The crowd cheered and I got out of the ring to meet up with Chris. We bumped fists as we walked off. Recess was over. Chris and I shared a cell. I had to wait on Chris though. He had mop duty. It gave me time to rest and think about stuff.

I was going to be leaving this place in three days. I couldn't wait. Chris was happy too. It was his last day here. He would be leaving this afternoon. This would be our last talk.

I thought about who all I would see when I got out. My brothers Ponyboy, Soda, and maybe Darry. Soda said that he was in college. I had talked to Soda days ago. I had to let him know about my leaving arrangements. I had talked to him before that years ago. That's when I had heard about Mark's death. I was kinda saddened. All three of my friends died. I still had Steve, Two-Bit and my family. I will still live.

Which reminds me. My son Danny should be sixteen around now. I couldn't wait to see him. Soda told me that he was going to be moving in with him in Tulsa. Soda had a kid now. His name was Jack. He was nineteen. Ponyboy had two kids, Rachel and Houston. Ponyboy told me that Houston was named after Dallas. You do the math.

Two-Bit's sister had gotten married and divorced. She kept their kid who was named after Two-Bit. His real name, Keith. He visited his uncle every once in a while. That left Steve and Darry without kids. That makes since though. Steve can't keep a girl and Darry doesn't have the time.

At that moment, Chris walked in.

"How's your mouth?" he asked sitting on his bunk.

I was leaned against the wall.

"It's fine. I'll live. Excited about this afternoon?"

"Yeah. I'll get to see my girl. And get my life together."

"Same here. I'll get to see my wife. And finally my kid."

"Yeah. You've been mentioning him a lot. How old should he be?"

"Sixteen."

"That good. I can't wait til I have kids. They're gonna be some tough ones."

"Don't make your kids too tough. They could end up like I did."

"Hey, by the way you defended yourself out in that ring. I wouldn't mind them being like you."

I smiled. Chris always made a little light in this dark place. I couldn't wait until I got out.


	2. Something To Do

Chapter 2: Something to do

Later that afternoon, a guard had came to me and Chris' cell. It was time for him to go. Chris came up to me.

"Keep your head up. You got three more days."

"Yeah."

We shook each other's hand and pulled each other into a hug.

"Be easy," I said as he walked out. He nodded at me and walked away with the guard.

The next day, I sat the table I usually sit at. I sit with a group but I usually hang out with Chris. I sat there listening to their conversation, but I didn't get anything out of it. I was too busy thinking about my family. Especially Danny.

When lunch was over, I walked out of the cafeteria to my cell, suddenly the guy I beat up yesterday stopped right in front of me. Did I mention that his name was Scar?

"You got lucky yesterday. I want a rematch."

"You don't deserve one."

"The hell I do!"

At that moment, Scar threw a punch into my face. Now normally, I would have thrown a punch right back at him. But if I fought somewhere else other than the boxing arena, I would have gotten in trouble. Good thing the guards got to him before I lost my temper.

Scar lost his recess privileges. Speaking of recess, I was punching the boxing bag during that time. I had nothing else to do anyway. While I was doing that, I was reminiscing about my young greaser days.

It was pretty cool having a rep like that. I wasn't exactly the toughest but I had a real good rep. I remembered the rumble. I sometimes laughed at when I spat blood in that soc's face.

After recess, I got to use the phone. Since it was my last two days there, I got to make two phone calls. First I called my wife, Kasie. The phone rang twice and then…

"Hello."

"Hey baby."

"Trix! Hey!"

"Hey. Danny made it to Tulsa okay?"

"Yeah. Sodapop called me this morning. They all went hanging out the other night at the movies."

"That's good. How have you been?"

"I've been fine. I get to have some girl time."

I laughed. I loved my wife. She should be able to come live with us in Tulsa pretty soon. She was trying to see if her job could get relocated. I finished my conversation with Kasie and then decided to call Sodapop. It was night by now.

"Hello."

"Ponyboy?"

"…Who is this calling?"

"It's Trix!"

"Oh! Hey!"

"What's up? How's everyone doing? How's Danny?"

"Everyone's fine. Danny and the other kids went riding around. Keith is in town also."

"Cool. You gonna be there to pick me up also?"

"You know I will. Everyone's coming. Darry said he going to drop by, but he will have to get back to the college quickly. He can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you guys-Oh. I gotta go. My phone time is up. See you in two days!"

"All right. See ya'. Danny can't wait!"

We both hung up. Both of us couldn't wait. I kinda knew that Jack, Houston, Rachel and Keith wouldn't be that excited. I knew that they would be interested in seeing me though.

I walked back to my lonely cell. I laid down and just stared at the ceiling. In two days I'll be waking up to family and chocolate cake. That nearly killed me here. No chocolate cake at all. I don't know how long it had been ever since I had some chocolate cake.

It seemed like it was my turn to get my life straight. Ponyboy had written a book, Soda and Steve became the owners of the DX, and Darry had gone to college. Ponyboy had married Cathy, you remember her don't you. She was the girl that used go out with Bryon…

I sometimes wonder what ever happened to him. Soda said that no one had ever seen him after Mark's funeral. I hoped he was okay. I was really worried about the guy. I basically didn't know what happened to anyone. I hear that Tim and Curly Shepard are still running things. I wonder what happened to Terry Jones.

I decided to just forget about it and turned over. I was tired. I did a lot of punching on that punching bag.


	3. Last Day

Chapter 3: Last Day

Man, I thought that this day would never end. It went by real slow. During recess, I lifted weights to pass time by. It still went by slow. It would be a while though. Everyone would have to take a plane to Georgia to pick me up. They were going to fly me back to Tulsa. Finally the day ended. The guards escorted me down the hall. I looked into one cell and saw Scar.

"I'll get you!" he yelled.

"You ain't gettin' out," I replied calmly.

That was the truth. The guy had life for murdering someone. They're some crazy people in this world. He did this on purpose.

The guards escorted me outside. As I walked closer to the fence, I could see a bunch of people sitting outside of the car. That must be the guys. I smiled. I looked back at the penitentiary. No more guard posts, no more nasty food, no more psychos. I reached the gate and walked outside. Freedom.

"Trix!" yelled Soda.

"Yeah!" I yelled back walking towards my brothers and friends.

We all came into a bare hug. When I got out, I saw Cathy sitting at the car.

"Cathy?"

"Hey Trix."

I went up and hugged her. I actually didn't think that their relationship would go on for that long.

I talked with Two-Bit, Darry, Steve, Soda and Cathy. We finally got into the rented car and went towards the airport.

We finally got to Tulsa. I fell asleep after laughing at Two-Bit trying to mess with the instructor. None of these guys have changed a bit. We got off the plane and two cars were waiting for us outside. Curly and Tim Shepard were right next to it.

"Welcome back," said Tim with a straw in his mouth.

"How you feel?" asked Curly.

"Free," I answered.

Darry drove a car back to his college and the rest of us took a van to the house. It was 1:00 pm by the time that I got home and the kids were still at school. Which meant that I might have to wait a while to see Danny.

Later on that afternoon, the school had gotten out and the kids should be on their way. Soda and I were sitting on the couch. I was staring at a picture of Danny. He had brought it with him from Atlanta. He had some semi-long hair, kind of like I used to wear it.

The door opened up and I looked to see who was coming through the door, hoping it was Danny. Nah. It wasn't. It was Soda and Pony's kids, Jack and Rachel.

"Are you Trix?" asked Jack pointing to me.

"Yup," I answered.

"You look pretty tough."

"That's the truth."

Jack smiled and I saw a little smirk on Rachel's face. Finally, I asked,

"Where's Danny?" Rachel answered,

"He's at Two-Bit's with Houston. Keith wanted to win his money back."

"Just like me."

"That's the truth," said Soda.

We all talked for a while, I really got to know Jack and Rachel. Jack was just like his dad, but Rachel always seemed to be complaining about something. It was funny when she talked about people though. Ponyboy came in later.

Suddenly the door flew open and Houston was standing there breathing hard. Ponyboy recognized the expression on his son's face.

"What's wrong? Where's Danny?" he asked.

Fear struck through me. Was Danny hurt?

"Some socs are jumping Danny."

I jumped up and Soda did the same.

"Cathy, call the cops," yelled Ponyboy and Cathy obeyed.

Everyone ran outside and Ponyboy and me were the first ones to reach the scene. There were a bunch of kids standing around. Danny was on ground unconscious. The teenagers were about to run when they saw us, but Soda blocked their path. We all surrounded them and made sure that they didn't escape. I wanted them to be jailed for hurting my son. I was kneeled down and holding him in my arms. He was still breathing normally, so I knew he would be alright. Finally the cops and ambulance showed up and they put Danny on a stretcher. They had to check for a concussion. It seemed like he woke up while he was on the stretcher and took a glance at me. I don't think he recognized him immediately. I wanted him to wake up as soon as possible after the hospital.


	4. That Person

Ale Curtis-Carter. That was just a little joke since it was the first time I reviewed one of your stories.

Chapter 4: The Person

I was sitting in the lobby now. The doctor came in a while ago and told us that Danny would okay. He just needed rest and the doctor recommended that we not wake him up. I guess Ponyboy knew how mad I was, because he came over and said something to me.

"I think I might can tell you something that would make you feel better."

I looked at him. He seemed to be serious about this.

"What is it?" I asked.

Pony sighed and then answered me.

"Well, while I was at my book meeting, one of my businessmen came in saying that someone wanted to see me. But I wasn't at the hotel; I was at the book meeting. They say the person was…Bryon."

I stared straight into Ponyboy's face. Bryon. No one knew where he had gone after Mark's funeral.

"Did you actually see him?" I asked.

"No," said Ponyboy. "I have to leave town that day. I think it's a little weird though."

"Same here."

Ponyboy got up to use the bathroom and I just sat there. I was getting tired. But who knew that anyone would see Bryon at any point. I looked at Cathy. What would he think if he knew that Ponyboy had married Cathy?

They had actually gone steady before the situation with Mark happened. How would he feel if he knew that Pony and Cathy had kids?

Speaking of them, I looked their kids. Houston had already fallen asleep. I guess he was still a little shaken from the situation. Rachel was just sitting over there reading a magazine. I could tell that she was trying to hide her feelings. Cathy told me that she does that a lot. Something had happened with her past relationship.

Sleepiness hit me suddenly and I fell asleep right in the chair. When I woke up next, a nurse was waking me up. I looked up into her face. This reminded me when I was in the hospital with the bullet. That nurse was nice and cute.

"You can go sleep in your son's room if you want."

I nodded and went to Danny's room. Ponyboy and Sodapop were asleep in there. I looked at Danny. He had a bandage over his head. I suddenly wondered how tough my son was. I mean, the first time I saw him after being released was on the ground unconscious. I guessed I worried too much.

I walked over and pushed his hair back and he moved a little. I half hoped I didn't wake him up and half hoped I did. Weird huh. I wanted him to rest, but I desperately wanted to spend time with him.

He didn't wake up, but at least I knew that he was okay. Kasie said that he had an argument with his ex-girlfriend before he left. That must have made leaving even harder for him.

There was an empty chair over where Soda and Pony were resting. I walked over and occupied the spot. I fell asleep instantly.


	5. Father & Son Time

Chapter 5: Father and Son Time

When I woke up next, my two brothers were already awoke. They were both watching television. I looked at Danny. He still hadn't waken up.

"How y'all doing?" I asked stretching my arms. They both turned around.

"We're fine," started Ponyboy. "Cathy and the kids had left and me and Soda came up here. We didn't want to wake up you up. We both fell asleep up here."

"That's fine. Danny woke up yet?"

Soda answered me,

"No. He was breathing straight when we came up here. I guess he'll wake up any minute now."

"That's good. I'm going to the cafeteria to get some coffee. It's been a while since I had some."

I walked out into the hall. I had to walk past the lobby to get to the cafeteria. As I was walking, I accidently ran into this girl.

"Sorry," I said.

"It's okay-" she started but then looked at me. She then asked, "Are you Danny's father. Trix."

"Yeah," I answered with a puzzled look.

"Hi. I'm Danny's girlfriend. Maria."

"Oh you're Maria. Hey. How did you know who I was?"

"Danny showed me a picture of you once. He was very anxcious to meet you. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He hasn't woken up yet. But I predict that he'll wake up soon. We haven't met each other though."

"Oh. Well, I'm just gonna wait in the lobby."

"Alright. I'll come and get you when he wakes up."

She smiled.

"Okay."

I continued my journey to the cafeteria. I had just finished my coffee when Ponyboy and Soda entered.

"Hey Trix. He's awake. He waiting on you. We told him it was a surprise."

I jumped up.

"I'm not going to keep him waiting!"

I made my way back up to the floor. When I reached the door to the room I stopped. I took a deep breath. This was it. I was going to meet my son. Finally. I put my hand on the door knob. I could remember when he was born. I cut the cord for him. I was out mostly, so I really never got to see him. Then I got arrested.

I opened the door. Danny was wide awake. He smiled when I entered. That made me real happy.

"How you doing Danny?"

"Fine. I thought you wouldn't be back until later on this month."

I smiled.

"I told them to tell you that. I wanted to surprise you. But it seems that you surprised me."

"Yeah, they still have the socs and greaser thing going on. I was trying to protect Pony's son. Is he alright?"

"Yeah. He's okay. He ran to the house and got us. Cathy called the police. I swear, if your uncles weren't holding me back. I would have murdered those kids. The police arrested them."

I still couldn't believe it. My son was right in front of me. Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?

"What were you sent to the pen for?"

"Assault and robbery."

Danny looked confused,

"But that would have gotten you ten years, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah. But I'm out on parole. Don't make me have to go back, kid."

Danny laughed even more. I could tell that he was so happy to finally meet his dad. I then started up something.

"Danny. You had everyone scared for a second."

"What was wrong with my head?"

"You have a minor concussion. One of those socs hit you over the head with a baseball bat. Like I said, Ponyboy and Soda had to hold me back. We all surrounded them though, so they wouldn't take off running. We made sure they got arrested."

"Hey I'm a Curtis. Talked to mom yet."  
"Yeah, I talked to her on the phone. She's doing well. She wishes she could come down here. But your uncle's house is already crammed enough. Plus she says she would hate to lose her job. But you know your mom, she'll make the best of a bad situation. She says she's having some woman time."

I noticed that he had a weird look. Like he was nervous.

"What's wrong, son?"

"I want to ask you a question, but I feel it's a hard one."

"Shoot."

Danny took a deep breath and asked,

"What was Mark like?"

Well I wasn't expecting that. I sighed and thought for a moment

"He was a good friend to anyone who was a friend to him. He was tough and was always by your side. When he went to jail, I couldn't take it anymore. I went off and met back up with your mom."

He smiled then,

"It's weird though. The three reasons I left Tulsa are all dead."

"Oh…So you know about what happened to him."

"Yeah. Soda had told me on the phone while I was in jail. That was the first time I had talked to him since I ran away. I talked to Darry and Ponyboy a little bit. Soda mostly, he was comforting me in that place. Kid, let me tell you something. Try to avoid jail the best way you can."

"What's that?"

"Don't get caught."

Danny laughed and we talked for a long, long time. Ponyboy had to remind me that Maria wanted to talk to Danny.

I let Maria in and I walked out with Ponyboy.

"Did you get acquainted?" he asked.

"You know we did."

"You're right. You guys were in there talking for a full hour."


	6. Brother Time

I just noticed something. This is my ninth story. Therefore, I'm going to treat my tenth story like a tenth anniversary or something. I'm going to treat my next fic with something real big. I'm sorting out the plot right now. I think you're going to like it!

Chapter 6: Brother Time

After Danny finished talking with Maria, we gave him a ride home. Steve had brought his car. I helped him into the car and Steve said it reminded him of when I had gotten shot. I thought the same thing. I showed Danny my bullet wound. He thought it was cool.

When we reached the house, Jack, Rachel and Houston started talking to Danny a lot. I decided this would be a good time to ask Ponyboy about Bryon. We were sitting down at the kitchen table talking about it.

"Where do you think he went after the funeral?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. We drove by the house but it looked empty."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Soda walking in.

"Remember what I told you about Bryon," answered Ponyboy.

"Oh that. If you ask me, I think it's freaky. Someone you haven't seen in years happens to show up when you least expect it."

"I was surprised too," I said. "I was real worried about him when you told me Soda. Have you guys told Darry?"

"Naw," said Soda.

We continued to talk. Pretty soon it was time for the kids to go to bed and I said goodnight to Danny. Pony, Soda and I stayed up watching TV. Cathy had gone to bed already.

"You know, I think that Houston looks up to Danny," said Ponyboy. I looked at him.

"He does?"

Soda said something also.

"It does make sense. Jack isn't around that much. He hangs out with a lot of people. Keith is barely here and Rachel is well, a little rough."

"Rachel does stick up for him though," said Ponyboy.

"Kinda like we stuck up for you," I mentioned.

Ponyboy smiled. We were reminiscing old times. I can remember how it was. Waking up, hanging out with the entire gang. It changed after Dally and Johnny died. I started hanging out with Mark and his poker buddies.

"How's Danny doing in school?" I asked.

"He's fine. His lowest grade is a C," answered Soda.

"In what class?"

"Biology."

"Oh. Like that class matters."

Soda and Pony laughed. Soda then began to speak on Jack.

"Jack was held back once. But that was because one of his teachers were moving too fast for him."

That reminded me about how Johnny was in school. He dropped out also because the teachers moved too fast for him. They had to take it slow.

Soda looked at the clock.

"I'm gonna turn in," he said stretching. Me and Steve have to go to the DX early tomorrow. Someone wants to apply for a job.

"I gonna turn in too. I have to talk with my agent tomorrow. Night Trix."

"Night guys."

Pony and Soda walked back to their rooms. The house was bigger than I remembered. Soda mentioned that Ponyboy had a room added on because of the families staying inside. Don't get it twisted though. Ponyboy wasn't filthy rich because of his book. It just pretty much got the family out of the serious debt they were in, got Darry into two colleges and have rooms added on. We were doing fine. I guess we all knew that money couldn't really ruin our lives.

I went through my bag of clothes and decided what I would wear tomorrow. I pulled off my T-shirt and lied down on the couch. I pulled the blanket over me and rested. I hadn't slept on anything real comfortable in a long time. It felt good to be home.


	7. Home, Sweet, Home

-I'm watching some Rob Lowe movie called "Atomic Train." I'm also seeing a lot of Patrick Swayze movies on TV. 

Chapter 7: Home, Sweet, Home

The next morning, Danny and I had a little chat before he went to school. He had mentioned that Houston reminded him of Johnny. I thought the same. He had Pony's features, but he acted like Johnny did after he had gotten jumped. Cathy said he was probably like that because Pony wasn't around that much when he was younger. Which is another reason Rachel got tough.

I got a plate of chocolate cake and sat down in the living room. I was at home by myself since Pony was with his agent, Soda and Cathy were at work, and the kids were at school. That made me think. I needed a job! What could I get though? I guessed that would be the topic for today.

My thoughts were interrupted by who else, but Two-Bit. He slammed through the door and made me look right up at him.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"It's cool."

Two-Bit stepped into the kitchen and then came out with two beers. He tossed one to me.

"Thanks."

He then grabbed the remote.

"You aren't gonna watch Mickey are you?"

Two-Bit shook his head.

"Naw. House of Mouse doesn't come on until the afternoon."

I smiled. He was the same old Two-Bit.

"Oh yeah!" said Two-Bit suddenly.

"Mr. Timothy Shepard's having a card gathering in a minute. He figured he would invite Poker's finest."

"You know I'm in."

I know I wasn't rusty on the game because I still played it while I was in prison. It was boring though. We couldn't play for money, and we just used it to pass time by.

Me and Two-Bit walked over to Buck Merril's old place. Two-Bit used to work at the DX, but he was too lazy. This was before Steve and Soda owned it. Two-Bit now worked at a bar. It seemed perfect for him. He didn't have to work today since someone was gonna take his place today. He would start again in a while. He told me all this on the way in his car. I was confused at one moment.

"Did Tim move or something?" I asked.

"Oh. He now lives at Merril's old place. He bought it off after Merril was sent to jail."

"He was sent off too? For what?"

"Some gambling problem. I never got much out of it."

We parked next to the building and got out. Two-Bit didn't have to knock. We just walked right on in and greeted Tim and his buddies. There weren't that many there. We sat down playing and I won the first two. During the third, we really got started on the conversations.

"That reminds me," said Curly trying to take a glance at the other person's cards.

"That guy that got arrested for attacking you. Y'all remember when Trix won that card game. He came back looking for you. I think that guy is psycho."

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"He left town most likely. I haven't seen him in a long time," said Tim Shepard.

We continued with our game. I won the next four, but Tim got lucky and won the last. I left the place with a pocket full of cash.

"I see you still got it," said Two-Bit smiling.

"You should have known I did," I said grinning.

We decided that we could run by the DX next. We walked on by and still, women were swarming over Soda. We saw a group of them leaving as we approached the station.

"Still got groupies?" I asked walking into the garage. Steve was working on a car and Soda was handing him the tools. He waved his hand from the other car as if to say 'hi'.

"Hey guys. Help yourself with a Pepsi or something."

We got a drink and I opened the coke. Man, I haven't had any of these in a long time. It was way better than that nasty water that they served us in the pen. I got used to it. But this was more refreshing. I wonder if Ponyboy still is a Pepsi-holic. I remember he would die if he didn't have a Pepsi. It always used to crack me up.

This one chick came in, she was looking at me. I knew that look. She was trying to turn me on, so I said,

"Married."

She quickly turned her attention to Soda. Soda went to the back of the station with Soda. Hope she didn't try anything on him.


	8. Say What?

-Sorry. Some stuff has been going on.

Chapter 8: Say What?

When Steve and Soda got off work, I caught a ride home with Soda. On the way, we were talking. He then started off on Jack again.

"Jack has done a lot of things."

"Like what?" I asked.

"He's smoking now and he once got arrested for underage drinking."

"Oh. That sucks. Was it the same reason we did it? To look tough?"

"Naw. It was this one kid named Matt. He used to go out with Rachel and was best friends with Jack. He got him on cigarettes, but Jack didn't drink alcohol after he had gotten arrested."

"What about Rachel?"

"I don't think Matt turned her onto it. I know they broke up when Matt became a soc. I haven't heard anything about him. I think they still see him every once in a while, but I don't think they're friends."

Man. I don't think Danny got in this much trouble. Kasie told me once that he had gotten arrested for fighting at a basketball game. He got out on bail. We knew he did a lot more crazy things; he just never got caught for them. I know Danny's been in court since one of his friends broke into a package store.

We reached the house and I saw Ponyboy's car. That means that he must be home. We walked inside and he was looking in an old notebook. He looked up and smiled.

"Look what I've found."

"What is it?" asked Soda.

"It's our old album. I found it stashed away in our closet."

We sat down on either side and looked at the book. There were several pictures in it. I remember that. That was when Two-Bit drank all that booze. He looked stupid as heck. Pony turned the page and we saw a certain picture. There was a picture of us on the porch. There was me, Ponyboy, Soda, Darry,….Mom and Dad.

I guessed they felt the same way. We were all deathly quiet.

"Man. I miss all of them," I said.

"Me too," started Soda. "The hunting, the rodeos, it was fun."

"And we still stayed together," said Ponyboy.

That was true. We had a rough younger life. Especially what had happened to Ponyboy. I guess I couldn't take it like they did. But I knew better now. I know that you can't run away from your past….Man. I sound like I was on the Lion King.

After we finished looking at the album, the kids got home. I talked to Danny a little, but he had to work on his homework. It still took a while, Rachel had to go help him with science. Jack had finished though. He was in the den watching TV.

Soda was in his room, Ponyboy, Cathy and I were in the kitchen talking, and Houston was in his room also.

Pretty soon, the doorbell rang and Ponyboy answered.

"Jack!" he said. "Someone is here to see you." Jack went outside, and Ponyboy came back into the room and we continued to talk. Soon , I heard a slap outside and all three of us looked at each other.

Jack entered and he started talking to Soda. We didn't pay much attention though. We just continued to talk. Soda then yelled out "What!"

We all went into the living room to see Soda looking furious. Everyone ran up to see what was going on.

"Just get to your room now!" yelled Soda and Jack obeyed. The teens followed him and me and Ponyboy sat down next to Soda trying to calm him down. Cathy walked up to us after he was calm and asked,

"What happened?"

Soda sighed. I think I saw a couple of tears slide down his face.

"That party they went to. Jack had sex with some girl. The girl is pregnant, and it might be his child."

That had settled it, I thought. Jack had drank, smoke and Soda kept his cool through it all. But I guess it was sex that finally made him blow his top. I could hear Rachel shouting at Jack. I guess everyone was surprised and a little angry. This is something big though. A baby? I thought Jack would have known better with what had happened to his dad. I hope Danny doesn't get mixed up like I did.


	9. One Mistake

Chapter 9: One Mistake

Pony and me continued to talk to Soda. It seemed like he was calming down a little.

"It'll be fine Soda. We can just hope and pray that the baby isn't his," said Ponyboy.

"I got it," I started. "Soda, we can get a blood test. Then we'll be sure alright."

Soda wiped his eye and say okay. Ponyboy continued to talk to Soda and I decided to walk towards the back and talk to Danny again. I glanced in his room, but he wasn't in there. I noticed it had been quiet back there for a while. I looked in Jack and Soda's room to see it empty also, but the window was open.

Where had they gone? I decided to go look for them, but I wasn't gonna tell Soda and Pony. We had too much drama anyway. I walked towards the door.

"I'm going to drive off for a minute," I said walking into the den.

"Need my car?" asked Ponyboy.

"Sure."

I really didn't have my license anymore. I decided that that would be one of the things I needed to do, as well as getting a job. Pony tossed me his keys and I walked outside. I got into his car and revved up.

I decided to drive to the park. That seemed like an obvious choice for them to walk to since everything else was a little far away. I was surprised as I drove up there. When I pulled over, I saw them getting into a little rumble. I looked over to see Houston untying a girl from a pole. I recognized that girl as Danny's girl, Maria.

I got out the car and walked up. As I walked up, some of the soc-looking kids started to run. One of them ran into a pole. I just had to laugh at that one. As I walked up, Danny explained to me what happened and I gave Maria a ride home.

"Thank you," she said.

We got into the car as Tim and Curly Shepard gave them a ride back to the car. Oh, did I forget to mention that they were there too. Sorry. Well they were.

As I drove Maria home, we had a little chat. Danny picked a pretty good girl. They used to be real hard to find when I was younger. All the greaser girls were just plain stupid, well, except for Sandy. But Maria wasn't a greaser girl. She was in between.

"So how did you and Danny meet," I asked.

"Well, he came up to me and introduced himself. To be honest, I thought he was just like all the other guys who tried to hit on me. But I saw him sticking for Houston, and I figured he must have been a pretty good guy."

"How was your first date with him?"

She smiled. She was reminiscing.

"We went to the movies. He was real polite and nice."

"What movie did you see?"

"An old movie called 'Rumble Fish'. It had Matt Dillon. It was pretty nice."

"Rumble Fish. I might have to see that. Is this your neighborhood?"

"Yes. It's the third house right there."

I pulled into her driveway and she got out.

"Thank you for the ride."

"No problem. Be good."

I watched her walk inside and then backed out. I drove to the house. I was getting tired. As I walked inside, I saw Cathy walking back to her room.

"Good night," she said.

"Night."

I went into the back and looked into Danny and Houston's room. They were both fast asleep. I remember once when I was younger, Pony said he thought people looked younger when they were asleep. I told him he was crazy. I looked at Danny. Nah. I still didn't get it.


	10. A Visit

Chapter 10: A Visit

The next morning I woke up to see everyone moving around as usual. Soda walked back to the back. I guessed he was going to talk to Jack about the blood test. Danny and I had a little chat again.

"What all did you get into when you were younger?" asked Danny.

"I used to do the usual things. You know, smoke, drink, rob, fight. Did you do any of that?"

"Except smoking and drinking, and well… partially robbed. That's only if I needed to. Well, what all do you plan to do now that you're out?"

"I gotta get my liscense and a job. But I pretty much want to get my life together now. I'm staying out of trouble."

"That's good. I don't want you gone at all."

At that moment, all the teens walked up.

"See you," said Danny.

"See you."

As they all walked out the door. Soda had a while before he went to his job. He sat down beside me on the couch.

"How'd it go?" I asked him.

"It's fine. We're gonna get the test later on. Go ahead and get cleaned up. I'll give you a ride to the DMV."

"Alright."

I got up and took my shower. As I got out and put my clothes on. I went through my bag looking for a decent shirt. All I had on was my white beater. I took a glance at my fireball. I forgot to show everyone this. I had on a shirt when I walked outside the gate. The phone rang then. I picked the phone and answered.

"Hello."

"Trix?"

"Yeah."

"Hey. This is Darry."

"What's up bro."

"Nothing right now. Hey, I don't have much time, but I'm going to visit in a little bit. I'll call y'all later. I've got a break from school coming up."

"Alright. How was law school when you went?"

"It was a little tough, but you know your big bro. Hey, I've gotta go. Talk to you later."

"Alright. Bye."

I put down the phone and saw Soda and Pony standing there.

"Who was that?" asked Ponyboy.

"It was Darry. He's got a break coming up and he's gonna run by here."

"Oh. That's good," started Soda. Then he noticed the design on my arm.

"Hey, when'd you get that?"

"Got it in Atlanta," I answered. "I got this because people said I was on fire when I played poker."

"That's nice looking," said Ponyboy.

"I've got one too," said Sodapop pulling up his sleeve. It showed a picture of an actual Soda can. I had to laugh. Good ol' Soda.

Soda gave me a ride to the DMV and I passed the test. I really didn't have a problem. Later on that night, we all were watching a movie with C. Thomas Howell called "The Hitcher" (note: I like that one). Suddenly the doorbell rang and Cathy answered it. I had to double glance at the door. There were two cops.


	11. Guess Who?

Chapter 11: Guess Who?

"May we speak to Trix Curtis," asked one of the cops.

Everyone looked at me. They were wondering what was going on. I wanted to find out the same thing. I walked outside and Cathy shut the door. The cops and I went next to their car and they started.

"How are you doing today?" one of them asked.

"I'm okay."

"What did you do yesterday?"

"I just hung out with my family and friends."

"Uh-huh. We've heard differently."

"Excuse me."

I was getting a little mad.

"Did you ever walk over to the local park?"

"Yes."

"You're under arrest!" yelled one of the cops.

Before I could do anything, they had me on the ground slapping handcuffs on my wrists. I looked up to see Danny shooting out of the door. I knew he was about to attack the cops. Luckily Pony and Soda caught him before he reached them. I was about to yell stop to him.

"Let him go! Let me go!" yelled Danny. He was struggling to get out of the grip. I didn't bother to try to get out of my grip. I know that would have gotten me in more trouble. I still didn't know what I had done wrong? Ponyboy must have read my mind.

"What did he do?" yelled Ponyboy.

"He has been charged with assault on an underage male."

"Who?" demanded Danny. "Who would my dad attack!"

He was still struggling to get out of his uncles' grip.

"On Matt Jones."

Danny stopped. I looked up. Who was Matt Jones. That name sounded familiar.

"Repeat that," Danny said calmly.

"Matt Jones."

The cops yanked me up and threw me into their car. As they drove off. I took a glance to out of the back window. I saw Danny running after the car yelling for me. This made the situation even worse. I hated to see him like this. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. We turned a corner. Danny couldn't keep up.

The rest of the ride was just a blur. I remember walking down the cell hallway. Looking straight ahead. Ignoring the rest of the psychos there. I didn't want to be here. I hated this place.

I sat down on the bunk in the jail cell. They told me that I had a cell mate that would be there in a minute. I hope this guy wasn't nasty.

As I sat there, I wondered what everyone else would be doing. It must have nearly killed them to see me hauling them off. And I didn't even do anything! Who was this guy. Matt Jones. Matt Jones. Matt. Wait! It's probably the guy that used to go out with Rachel and was best friends with Jack. But what did he have to do with me. Or Danny? Was he just being stupid about the situation.

My thoughts were interrupted by someone at the cell door. I didn't pay any attention to him. I expected the person to say something smart. But it surprised me by what he said.

"Trix?"

I looked up and my eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I had just saw. I looked like Soda did the night Darry hit Pony. There standing at the cell entrance…was Bryon Douglas.


	12. Reminiscing

Oooh! I want to finish this story now! I'm excited about my tenth story! And I have a real good idea for a story after that. Oh, man. Y'all better expect some real good stories after this. Y'all know I usually do something that no one else has thought of. Well, I think…Why am I still talking?

Chapter 12: Reminiscing

"Bryon!"

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

I sat up.

"I should ask you the same question."

He walked over to me. He looked a little different. His hair was a little mess.

"I broke into a store. I have to be here for a least a month."

"Why'd you break into the store?"

He sat down. Bryon was different now. I hadn't seen him ever since he was lying in yard outside Terry's. But that was years ago. I'm surprised that I recognized him. Better yet, I'm surprised he recognized me.

"I don't know," he said putting his hands on his head. Ever since, well…Mark. I've been doing some crazy things. This is the first time I've gotten caught. Why are you in here?"

"Some kid said that I attacked him or something?"

"Oh."

I sat down beside Bryon. He seemed to blank out or something. I stared at him with confused thoughts. I waved my hand in front of his face about seven times before he snapped back into reality.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sorry. I was just reminiscing about how me and Mark used to hang around. I used to just throw up every time I thought about it. It reminded me too much about that night and well… Did you hear what happened to him?"

"You mean getting shot by the cops? Yeah, I heard."

"I don't know how I got the courage to go to the funeral. I could tell there were all eyes on me."

We continued the rest of the night talking. It was lights out pretty soon, and we decided that we would continue tomorrow.

"So what have you been doing?" I asked. I already told him about my time.

"Well, I had gone through college and everything. And I got a good job. But my boss said he noticed me acting weird. I don't remember anything. He gave me two weeks off my job and advised me to visit my doctor. But I never went to see him. I then heard that your brother, Ponyboy was in town. I tried to go see him, but they wouldn't let me. I ended up in Tulsa for some reason, and I don't know why, but I broke into some store."

I could see why he was acting crazy. It seemed like he would never get over Mark. Now even knowing that he was dead. That must have made him feel worse. I'm surprised he didn't commit suicide. Bryon was right, they both had changed. Bryon had become depressant and Mark became violent.

Suddenly, a guard appeared. He said I had a visitor. I followed the guard to a room with telephones in it. I looked on the other side of the glass and saw Danny.

I was happy to see him. That showed that he really cared for me. I sat down and we both picked up the phone and I spoke first.

"I didn't think I'd see this place ever again. Danny. Why did that kid lie about us?"

"We've had beef ever since he got here."

"Over what?"

"He was picking on Houston before I got here. Rachel used to defend him then. He didn't do anything to her because they used to go out. Plus he was a former best friend of Jack."

"I see. Son, don't worry about me while I'm in here. I'll be fine. I've survived before."

I saw Danny sniff for a second and tears strolled down his face.

I put my fist up against the glass. Danny did the same and we put our fists up against each other's. I could actually feel him. Danny had to leave. His time was up. I walked back to Bryon. I hated to see Danny like this.


	13. Questions

Chapter 13: Questions

Later on, I got a message from Soda that Darry would be defending my case. That was good. I'm glad Darry went to college. It was lunch and Bryon and I were still talking. But he asked me something that made me nervous.

"Hey. Do you know what happened to Cathy?"

I looked up at him. I hid my nervous face though.

"No."

It would kill him to know that Cathy married Ponyboy. That would absolutely kill him. He could go psycho and go after his family. I swear, I couldn't tell him.

We walked to the recess area and worked out a little bit. He gained a little muscle, but I was a little thicker. I looked around. Some people were playing basketball. There was this one guy who had tattoos all over his body. He started walking over to us when I looked at him. He probably thought I was mean mugging.

"What are you looking at, punk?" he yelled in my face.

"Don't worry about it," I said calmly.

I turned around but he put his hand on my shoulder and turned me around. He shouldn't have put his hands on me.

"Watch it!" I yelled.

"Why don't you."

He pushed me and I pushed him back. It was obvious something was about to happen. A crowd came up looking for a fight. One guy held "tattoo boy" back while Bryon held me back. I could hear some alarm going off, making some guards come in. Me and tattoo boy lost a day of lunch privileges. Didn't matter though, it gave me time to think about stuff.

I had another visit. This time it was Darry and Danny. Darry came in and asked me some questions for my court case.

"Hey bro," he said sitting on the other side.

"Hey Darry."

"I don't have much time, so I have go on ahead with the questions, alright?"

"Alright."

"What did you get jailed for last time?"

"Assault with a deadly weapon."

"Did you spend much time with your family?"

"No. I was out a lot after Danny was born. Especially after he turned five. He barely saw me."

"What did you plan to do after you got out of jail?"

"Get my life together."

"Did you tell Danny any of this?"

"Yeah."

"Where were you the night the kid said the accident happened?"

"I walked up to the park and all those kids ran off. I think the one guy that said I beat him up, well, he ran into a pole. I then gave Danny's girlfriend a ride home."

Darry was writing down notes. He asked more questions and then I got to talk to Danny.

"So how are you holding up here?"

"I've been fine."

"What kind of questions did Uncle Darry ask you?"

"Some stuff about my last charge, where was I the night the kid said I attacked him, and some other stuff."

We kept talking. Danny didn't have long this time because Darry had used up majority of the time asking me the questions.

A week and two days passed. Yeah, I know. That's a quick jump. But nothing really happened during that time. The "tattoo boy" didn't bother me anymore. Bryon and I were playing poker in our cell. I was trial day. I would be leaving to go to court in minute. The guard showed up. I looked at Bryon.

"You'll be out in a minute. Try to work things out, okay."

"Alright. It was good talking to you."

I walked out with the guard. That was all Bryon needed. Someone to talk to.


	14. The Trial

Chapter 14: The Trial

I sat was escorted into the bus and I sat down. I looked at the jail. This trial would determine if I would ever see this place again. I put my hands together, bent my head down, shut my eyes, and prayed.

We reached the court about five minutes later. I was escorted out of the bus and went through the back of the courtroom. As I entered, I looked around to see my family and friends. Danny looked nervous, as well as Pony and Soda. But then I saw Darry. Well, you know Darry. He kept a straight face. This was business for him. He had the same face he did after Mom and Dad died.

I sat down in the front of the courtroom and the trial started. The lawyer for the other kid, what's his name, Matt, came up first.

"Well. My friends and I were in the park, minding our own buisiness. Danny and I have had many disagreements in the past. Soon, he comes up to us with his cousins and friends. He started an argument with us. Pretty soon he called his dad out here with us. His friends start attacking my friends and his uncle comes up to me and starts beating me up with a metal pipe."

That was a complete lie. He knew that too. I couldn't believe this guy would go through all this to get back at Danny. I was about to have a repeat offender.

They asked Matt's friends some questions. Same thing. His lawyer asked me some stuff too.

"Where were you the night Mr. Jones claimed to be attacked?"

"I was at the house."

"Whose house."

"My brother's."

"Did you ever approach the scene of the crime?"

"Yes. I went up there before the other kids ran. I then gave my son's girlfriend a ride home."

After the lawyer finished, we had a quick recess. It continued after about thirty minutes. It was Darry's turn now. He asked Maria a couple of questions.

"Maria. Please tell me what happened the night of the crime."

Maria started slowly.

"I was in my house, studying for a test. My parents were out of town at the time. I heard something in the front of the house, but I didn't give it any attention. I had my back towards the door of my bedroom and someone grabbed me and tied something around my mouth. I was thrown into the back of a car and driven to the park. I saw Matt and his friends pull me out of the car and tie me to a pole. They said if I make any noise then they would kill me. I was afraid that they might have a gun in the car and shoot me so I didn't say a word. Matt pulled out his cell phone and called Danny. He told me to get him down to the park and I told Danny. When he got there, he had his friends with him. But he didn't do anything but try to convince Matt to let me go. Then Matt called me a…a."

Darry looked at her.

"What did he call you?"

Maria cleared her throat and said,

"He called me a…H-O-E"

Maria was always a clean girl. She continued.

"They then started fighting and one of Danny's cousins untied me.

Matt and his friends ran when Danny's father walked up there. He didn't do anything though. Matt ran into a pole and caused his face more damage."

Everyone in the courtroom looked confused. They made it look like she was lying about when he ran into a pole.

"Thank you, Maria," said Darry.

Darry went on and asked some of the other teens what happened. He even asked Matt a couple of questions. When he got to Danny it was different. When he called Danny up, Danny got up slowly. He walked up to the bench with sweat pouring down his face. You would have thought it was him who was going to jail, not me.

He took a look at me. I gave him a look that I used to give my wife. I knew she passed it on to Danny.

"Danny, when you first met your father. What kind of things did he tell you?"

Danny looked confused and nervous. He took a deep breath and answered.

"He told me stuff like how he was going get his life back together. He was trying to start over."

"Did he ever give you any advice?"

"He said 'Have Faith in Family and Friends.'"

That's my boy.

When Darry finished with everyone, the jury was about to enter the room and make their decision. Suddenly, Darry said something

"Excuse me. I have some evidence that the jury would maybe like to see."

He pulled out a shoebox. It was obvious something was in it. The guard held the shoebox and checked it briefly. He then walked in with one of the jurors. After a moment, he walked out of the room and stood at the door.

It seemed like ages before one the jurors finally came out of the room.

"Has the jurors reached a decision?"

"Yes," started one of the jurors.

I stared dead at the jurors. I felt like I was in the Matrix when the world spins. Or…you know what I mean.

"We find the defendant, Trix Curtis not guilty"


	15. Finale

Chapter 15: Finale

Whew! That had to be the most nervous time of my life. Well, that's what I thought.

"What!"

Matt's dad jumped up.

"You actually believe my son ran into a pole!"

One of the jurors looked at him.

"This tape Mr. Curtis gave us proved what happened. He did run into a pole."

He held up the tape.

"This is the park's security tape!"

Everyone got real excited. Man, was I happy. We all went outside later on. I had Darry in a bear hug.

"Thanks, bro."

"No problem. I knew you wouldn't start anymore trouble."

Pony and Soda ran up, then Steve and Two-Bit. Yeah, here we were again. I felt real good. I was reminiscing our old days, but a force knocked me forward as I heard a bang. For a second I thought I had gotten shot. I didn't feel anything, so I must not have gotten shot. I turned around and my eyes widened, Danny was falling to the ground with blood on his shirt.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!" I yelled. I couldn't believe what was happening. I could hear Matt laughing, but I didn't pay him any attention.

I dropped down right beside Danny.

"Wake up! C'mon, Danny! Wake up!"

I was on the verge of tears. I had never been so scared in my life. I could feel everyone crowding around us. I suddenly felt someone leave the group in a rush. I looked up to see Houston running to Matt. He must have been just as mad as I was. Ponyboy caught him right in time, before he reached the kid.

The ambulance showed up again. It reminded me about when I first saw Danny in the lot. Not again. They hurried him into the van and took off. I stood there watching the ambulance take off. Soda then grabbed my shoulder and I turned around and stared at him.

"C'mon. We're going to follow it," he said.

I nodded and we all got into the separate cars. Soda must have known have anxious I was to get there, because he sped there.

We were all in the waiting room. Houston had been crying ever since we were in the parking lot. Rachel was crying then. That was the first time I had ever seen her like this. Cathy told me she hadn't cried in a long time. Jack was just sitting there. He looked like he couldn't believe what had just happened. Everyone else was just calming each other down.

I just sat there staring at the door. Waiting for a doctor or nurse to let me know what was going on. I caught the doctor right when we entered and he said that Danny was critical. About five minutes later, he came back. We all stood up.

"He'll be fine. He should wake up any time now."

We all sighed. That was good. The doctor caught my attention.

"You can go up to his room now."

I nodded and the doctor told me the room number. I knew no one would follow me because they knew that I wanted to be alone with him.

As I entered the room, I saw Danny lying there. Looking like an E.R. patient. I sat down in a chair, and prayed.

"Dear Lord. I have done much do get my life back together and not going back to jail. Please, don't take my son away."

"Dad."

I looked up instantly to see Danny. Wide and awake. I then realized that I had been crying.

"Aw, Danny. You gave me a good scare."

"I'm fine. What's this on my side?"

"It's a bandage."

"Oh."

I sighed.

"Son. You saved my life you know that."

"I know."

"I just wanted to say thanks…Your mother raised you good. I know most people would hate their dads for never being around."

"Well I'm not most peoples."

I laughed, then but there was one thing he had to do. I wanted to talk to him more but he knew he needed rest.

"Danny. You need to go to sleep now. Me and your uncles will be here tomorrow."

"Okay."

Danny went to sleep. As I walked towards the door, I looked up and said, "Thank You".

3 week later…

I had just gotten Danny a ride home from school. He had to stay for a study session. As we walked inside, Ponyboy was on the phone. I put his hand over for a second and smiled.

"Kasie said she's coming down here. She convinced her boss to have her job down here."

"That's great!" said Danny. Ponyboy was smiling.

"I've already got a house picked out for you guys."

We're getting back together I thought.

"Well then I might as well tell my good news then," I said.

They both looked at me.

"I got the job!"  
I finally got a job. At the radio station. It paid a little good money. At least it was a start. A start of the old gang getting back together.

FlipWise:

10th story coming

Right after this

I'm telling you guys

It's something you wouldn't wanna miss

It'll be a good story

Might be at the top of your list

It's gonna be so great

It's hotter than grits (ha! Ha!)


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